Destiny Colosseum

[unrepentantAuthor]

"You'll not find many a gal more tenacious than me," breathed Brisa, straining to keep victory within reach of her claws. "Don't count me out jus' yet, partner..."

Tactical options were thin on the ground and there was an opening ahead. She didn't know that she could win. But she'd fight like it were true. And if she could, this was how...

Once again, her fists erupted with lightning and superheated plasma, as she delivered her well-drilled sequence of deft, immobilising attacks.

[+12, STAB, Guts, LB 20%]
- Brisa used Bolt Strike! [Charge, Crit]
- Brisa used Plasma Fists!
- Brisa used Electric Facade
[Bone is Paralysed!]
[90/90 corruption]
[-59 Stm, +23 hp]

 

[Namohysip]

Brisa's Bolt Strike dealt a CRITICAL 1016 damage to Bone!
Brisa's Plasma Fists dealt 215 damage to Bone!
Brisa's Electric Facade dealt 297 damage to Bone!

Bone's Brutal Swing dealt 108 damage to Brisa, but she endured it with Second Chance!

Bone rushed for her. It was the same dance as before. But the moment she brought her arm back to swing, Brisa jumped out of the way--her body was too slow. The electricity staggered her movements. She cursed to herself, leaning against her club while her wounds only became more apparent. Electrical burns on a Marowak... Bone had no idea it would have happened.

"Is this... your true power?" Bone said in a hiss. She gripped her club again, trying to draw more power... but it wasn't coming to her very easily. Instead, wisps of energy danced around her again. She staggered to her feet.

Bone used Swords Dance, gaining another 2 Attack!

Brisa: 1

Bone: 657

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa took the hit and saw stars, for a moment, but she'd expected that, and expected the pain, too. She could take it. Her true power, huh? "Somethin' like that," she gasped, barely keeping her grip on herself as her body flooded with Radiance and Shadow.

The Facade was trance-like, the appearance of burning to death a mere illusion, the bravery beneath the pain enough to strike with incredible power, fuelled by pure will – win this, make them all proud, show her who you are – and inner darkness – you won't be fuckin' beaten, don't let them down, give everything you are and more still than that – and living lightning.

Her head was full. Her heart was hammering. She was parrying with her bare fists, slugging Bone with so much energy her scales sizzled on contact, she couldn't stop thinking about how that last Arcflare felt, when the fusion kicked off, the bright yearning, the dark relief, the way you felt like you were Enough, you love her and you can't unlearn how that feels—

Get a goddamn grip, ranger.

She gasped, coming to her senses. Bone was barely conscious. Brisa was barely conscious. Don't think. Act.

The Bolt Strike thundered as it made contact. And that, finally, was enough.

[+12, Stab, Guts, LB 1.1]
1. Blacklight Facade [UE] (104 BL)
2. Deep Focus (64 BL)
3. Bolt Strike [Charge]
[94/94 corruption]
[-41 Stm, +23 hp]

 

[Namohysip]

Brisa's Blacklight Facade dealt 557 damage to Bone!
Brisa's Bolt Strike dealt 383 damage to Bone! It's a KO!

A thunderous boom drowned out the noise of even the cheering crowd. Incineroar's calls were completely deafened. The ground shook; a shockwave made a small crater in the dirt, and then scattered loose debris into the air in a symmetrical wave. The sound echoed back... and all was quiet.

Bone stood there, leaning on her club one last time. She rushed for Brisa, staggering, swinging, but each hit missed. There was a defiant look in her eyes that faded only after her consciousness did; she fell, and finally, so did her club.

 

[Ambyssin]

In the stands, a certain shade shook its head, frowning.

"How disappointing. A defeat would have left a bitter sting upon their hearts... forcing them to work harder. To shine even brighter amongst Spectrum." Its head crest fanned out. "But a victory by the narrowest of margins? That only creates relief. Nothing to be gained. No passion to further drive oneself. Only exhaustion."

Smirking, its gooey cheek bolts whirred in their sockets. "Perhaps these are the limits of your hopes? If so, it's such a shame."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa fell to one knee, leaning heavily on her leg, breathing hard, feeling that plasma wash over her, soothing her wounds... less so her exhaustion, but that would pass soon enough as well...

Her ears were ringing. Or maybe it was just the crowd. She felt like she could just keep rising into the air, surrounded by it all...

Keep steady, ranger.

Brisa groaned softly as the Blacklight faded from her body and her mind, almost as if it willed itself to fill her blood and skull and soul. But fade it did, and she looked up, not only alive, but victorious, at her combat partners.

"We sure showed 'em what we can do, huh?" she whispered.

 

[Namohysip]

Tender rose first, followed by Nugget, and both went to help Bone get back to her feet. Out of all of them, Bone had certainly pushed herself the hardest, with Incineroar taking some extra time to make sure they were all in good shape.

"Perhaps in my prime, I wouldn't have lost..." Bone sighed, using her club for extra support again. "Still... a win is a win. It's... good to know that Cibus is in such powerful hands."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa helped Starr and Dave up as the Drumsticks began to recover. "Y'all were great out there," she told her teammates, her face beaming with the satisfaction of victory and the joyous thrill of battling alongside friends against someone she respected – who respected her.

"It was a darn close thing, ma'am," said Brisa, offering her zeraora paw for a shake. "And I thank you fer that. There's nothin' better."

 

[Namohysip]

"Of course." A little formal, Bone reached out to shake Brisa's paw, then looked to Nugget and Tender. "I think we've all earned a good rest, and maybe a wash, after all that... wouldn't you agree?"

The two nodded, and Bone bid a brief farewell to Brisa. "Well. Thank you for the battle, then--and I'm hoping that it will only help me get stronger. I may be past my prime... but with that comes experience."

 

[Dragonfree]

Dave stood up, gaze fixed on Brisa. She was still in this bipedal form, shaking hands with Bone as if nothing were more natural. "Brisa, what the fuck is going on with..." He gestured vaguely at her. "...that?"

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Huh? He didn't know?

Well, it wasn't like she'd told him. Shit.

"Oh, uh. Yeah, this is like... Y'know how Owen looks a li'l different lately?"

Brisa rubbed the back of her head, sheepish, hyper-aware of the intensity of Dave's stare. How to explain herself? Well, she'd just assumed he'd known, what with her and Starr and Astrid all unleashing their Blacklight against fucking Lugia and winning, there hardly seemed a soul on Cibus who hadn't heard about that... But then, Dave wasn't much for combat sports.

Yeah, Dave never watched her matches. Why should he have known?

"Well, it seems like this'll be somethin' the whole team can do," she said, her tone turning lightly dismissive. "Starr and Astrid and I all did it fer the first time fightin' Lugia in the arena. I, uh, landed the finishing blow. We won. Guess y'didn't hear."

 

[Namohysip]

Y'know how Owen looks a li'l different lately?

Owen was too far away to hear them, but in the stands, he was excitedly talking with a few other random audience members about it, miming a few of the battle moves that had been done by the fighters while finishing entire hot dogs in one bite.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Starr cracked her neck and stretched hard, feeling some of the pain ebb away now that the battle was done. She leaned her weight against Brisa's shoulder--a lot easier with Brisa standing taller right now--and took in the sight of the crowd still buzzing with energy after their victory.

She's still in that form. Does she really like it better than her regular self?


"I don't know how the hell you pulled that off," Starr said, wiping a spot of blood from her cheek. "Like, goddamn... good job."

 

[Dragonfree]

Fuck. Of course she had to turn this around on him. You didn't come to my fucking sports games, Dad. Well, sorry if he didn't particularly enjoy watching her get beaten up by a bunch of fucking legendaries--

He took a deep breath. "Well, Owen still looks like a goddamn Charizard. Nobody said you can just transform into a whole different species, let alone one that's a fucking legend. For a moment there I thought some ascension shit was happening and Zeraora just fucking went and..." He saw Brisa's expression changing. Fuck. "Look, I'm just -- so you're okay? You're good with this? Just, feeling like yourself except stronger?"

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa grit her teeth.

Maybe some ascension shit is happening, Dad. That'd make most folks proud, I woulda thought. Guess not.

She sighed as Dave laid off a little and Starr leant her weight on her. What relief. "Yeah, I'm still the same gal. Look, I'll change back in a second, I just heal faster if I stay like this fer a minute. And yeah. I'm stronger. Didn't y'just see me solo Bone?"

She smirked a little, and leaned into Starr a little, reassured by the contact. Gods, you'll miss this back home.

"I don't know how the hell you pulled that off," Starr said, wiping a spot of blood from her cheek. "Like, goddamn... good job."

If Starr looked any more proud of her, Brisa was going to fucking melt. She smiled up at the incineroar – still a little taller – and angled her own head to let Starr better wipe her wound clean. It ached a little where Bone's club had smacked her, but now the sensation just made her think of Starr's hand on her cheek.

"Thanks," was all she could think of to say.

Her ears were fucking scalding.

 

[Dragonfree]

"I mean, yeah. You also fucking flew. I'm just..." He stared at her. "So long as you're okay, all right? Not a big fan of people going through involuntary body horror transformations." He shuddered at the memory of hugging Jean for the first time after her evolution, all sudden gangly limbs and messy fur and weird proportions as she cried into his shoulder. Brisa looked... fine. Weird as hell, but obviously powerful, and just pissed at him for not liking it. Figured.

Starr was wiping blood off Brisa's face, and Brisa was smiling back at her with practically literal stars in her eyes. Had she seriously not asked her out yet? He could swear she hadn't, somehow. He stepped back, still the obvious third wheel. "Anyway, congratulations. We done here or what?"

 

[Namohysip]

For some reason, in the background, Pansit was taking picture after picture of Brisa and Starr before flying away.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Yeah," said Brisa. "We're done. And yeah, I'm more'n okay. Fightin' like this is a helluva lot less painful."

She gave Starr an affectionate nudge, and turned to leave the arena.

"Thanks fer yer help, Dave. I know this ain't really yer thing, but we just took out one of the strongest teams in the world. That's really somethin'."

She walked off with a jaunt in her step. This was it. They were defeating true deities and elite teams on equal footing.

So. What came next?

<><><><><>​

 

[Namohysip]

"Hmm, hmm... This is definitely an interesting way to spend time, Brisa!"

This wasn't a large crowd like usual, but there were still a few interested onlookers for this particular fight. Standing in the middle of the arena were two fighters. Brisa, of course, but also Corviknight Toffee, the kind Guild receptionist who didn't look like she could hurt a fly. There were a few onlookers who seemed confused by this. Toffee was somewhat well-known and not for her fighting, but... there were rumors.

"I do hope you go easy on me," Toffee said. "Why, when you offered to have a sparring match, I didn't know what to think! Especially after what you, er... had accomplished just yesterday. I'm a little nervous!"

Meanwhile, Owen was standing at the edge like usual. Next to him was Truffle, watching cautiously. Owen seemed nervous for some reason...

After some exchanges and formalities, however... It seemed that the fight was about to start. And unlike everyone else, it didn't look like Toffee had an opener planned...

The vitality sensors were online and Incineroar made his usual announcements.

"Okay!" Toffee shouted, spreading her wings. "Er... let's do this!"

Toffee: 1000

She seems weak, but...

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Nothin' like a casual battle t'get t'know each other a li'l better," called Brisa. "Don'tcha worry, I ain't hopin' to go all-out today! Gimme yer best, partner!"

Brisa got into a casual limbering-up, her body flooding with Radiance as she strained it to work harder, produce more electricity, but she also paced herself. She could afford to go at less than half her usual mad dash against a casual opponent.

Brisa's Brilliant Paragon gave her a boost!
Brisa's Rest restored her vitality!
Net: +4 Atk, +4 Spd, +2 Protect, +2 Charge, +Paragon, 150% hp -30 hp, -0 Stm.